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Causes of College Tuition Increase

In today’s era, college education has been taken very seriously compared to decades ago

when people needed basic knowledge only. This is because every business owner will always go

for the most intellect, not as before when well-shown talent and ability to use it was valuable.

The demand for more career opportunities and advancement has made it expensive to join good

reputational colleges. Harvey Mudd College, Johns Hopkins College, Parsons School, and Sarah

Lawrence College are among the best colleges in the United States of America in good

reputational performance and noted quality education they offer. Due to this, they have been

noted to be among the most expensive colleges (Olivia para.2). The higher the educational

demand, the more expensive it is. These colleges' social, economic, cultural, and political factors

affect the cost of their services.

According to the College Board, tuition has typically increased by 3% annually (Dickler

para 1). Tuition soared due to reduced public funding during the Great Recession as typical

tuition and fees at independent four-year institutions rose by 26% during the previous ten years.

Four-year public schools, which were more severely affected, saw an increase in tuition and fees

of 35% during that time. In some areas, including Arizona and Louisiana, tuition has increased

by more than a factor of two (Dickler para 2). According to the CBPP analysis, after correcting

for inflation, public state funding for nonprofit two- and four-year institutions in 2018 was $6.6

billion less than it was in 2008, right before the recession began. Currently, state and local
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governments pay for half of the colleges' income, with tuition making up the other half. Thirty

years ago, however, the distribution was very distinct, with tuition accounting for only about a

fourth of income and municipal and state governments covering the remainder (Dickler para. 5).

During this time, income has grown over the same period at a much slower rate than the

expense of studying at a four-year public university or college. Fewer families can pay the costs;

therefore, they increasingly turn to private and government assistance. The various changes in

mind expansion of man have significantly led to an increase in several colleges worldwide. This

is because it is hard to offer many courses in one college. For instance, most colleges offer

related fields such as a college completing law-based studies, agricultural studies, nursing, and

engineering. To offer all these courses in the same college can be very hard due to spacing and

overpopulation which to be able to solve, most colleges create their sub-branches. Given how

diverse and many courses are offered in colleges, Grinnell offers over five hundred courses

yearly and 3000 internships (Grinnell at a Glance para. 3). This makes the demand and attraction

to study in Grinnell higher, making it very costly. Comparing this to decades ago when there

were few learning centers, such as St. Johns college in the united states of America, fewer

courses were offered to lead to low demands. The lower the demand to get educated, the cheaper

it gets since demands indicate its need in society. Sallie Mae's most recent "How America Pays

for College" poll discovered that more than half of families borrow money or take out loans,

resulting in a whopping $1.6 trillion in total outstanding debt from the student. The average

senior leaves high school with around $30,000 in debt, which explains why about 70% of

students take college loans (Dickler para. 4).

In the contemporary college system, it has been made expensive due to several changes

example, social factors surrounding man. These factors affect how man relates to others,
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especially in lifestyle. One's self-decision determines this to live a cheap or expensive lifestyle.

Looking at the educational environment, the way man relates to each other financially affects the

whole system. This is seen where some parents in America, for instance, can simply prefer

taking their children to the most expensive colleges to keep their standards. People with high

income want to be associated with the class they feel fit in, even if it means excluding specific

colleges from the rest and making them look different in terms of structures, location, services,

and mode of operation. This has affected the regular fee system of these colleges since the

school will always prioritize the able parents. Every college is now lifting its standards to tap

wealthy clients. Comparing this to several years back, one could join a good college if only they

had performed well in their senior year. This shows that man's background in terms of resources

has taken part in the changes.

Social factors such as housing conditions have affected average college tuition. Today's

colleges are located in urban areas where settling is expensive. The school pays a lot of money

to lease a large area for settlement. This is why the college department will have to raise the cost

of its services to cater to land expenses. College students also need places to reside. Hostels and

apartments are very expensive, primarily due to the poor background of some students and the

high demand. The more they are in demand, the higher in cost they are made. For instance,

Sarah Lawrence is a private college in Yonkers, New York, among the developed towns. It is

expensive to reside near New York due to many operations making it an urban area (Friedman

para.2). New York City has booming industrial activities, lots of entertainment, and a suitable

mode of transport, making it a busy town. Business centers make school-based services such as

housing more expensive.

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Increased strikes by tutors for a salary increase have been an alarming issue. The higher

the tutor's salary, the more the tuition fee increases. As per the Cable News Network (CNN),

there have been increased strikes in the United States by teachers' and lecturers' unions due to the

high cost of living. Teachers complain of underpayment every year. The causes for the protests,

which call for unity, vary from pay and benefits to school facilities and class sizes to school

systems. While every one of these scenarios is distinct and addresses its local issues, they all

revolve around the fundamental question of how America should pay its teachers and educate its

students. In California, salaries have increased throughout that period, but in places like

Oakland, where lecturers are presently on strike, the living expenses have increased considerably

more. It is a common theme in the city's news stories that lecturers can no longer afford to reside

there (Wolf para. 4).

The unemployment state of most parents has made it very hard for their children to attend

and pursue a college education. The increased lack of jobs leads to inadequate financial ability

to afford college tuition. Students will need commuting fees if they reside far from school

premises, food, and other basic-personal things. A family whose gross income is less will prefer

buying food over education. College tuition is expensive for such if they are not lucky to receive

government aid. If more jobs are created, tuition will seem affordable to these families.

Unemployment is a fatal social factor that, if not addressed well, can lead to educational

difficulties for most young students.

The level of education center determines tuition cost. For instance, Sarah Lawrence's

annual cost is $54,385 due to the extensive education they offer (Dixit para 2). Students in this

college plan their curriculum, and in addition, they get written evaluations of grades at the end of

a course compared to other colleges. This makes it expensive, as it is referred to as

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"handcrafted." Their level of education is advanced even in cases of dividends. It offers flexible

skills to its learners, which enables them to behave and think like professional entrepreneurs in

creating their careers and jobs which is basically what is required after college in today's world

(Friedman para. 3). The level of education has been a social advantage and disadvantage to

some of the low-class families. When the college's standards are raised, only some families with

their children studying there are fit for the services. Some end up relocating and changing

colleges. Most of today's changes that have been seen affecting the college education cost are

primarily due to the advancement of man's daily gains. Every parent would want to take their

children to an institution that is well known to offer quality education. Despite its advantages,

such as easy job exposure, this urge has affected most people. People will always hire

professionals from a college that has a reputable history. Socially, people will always want to go

for a higher level of education due to the unemployment forces they face.

College tuition has been noted to have changed in its cost for general academics due to

increased social effects such as population density. For example, New Jersey, which has the

highest population (United States Census para. 3), faces such educational issues. More people

means increased water, food, energy, housing, healthcare, and transportation demand. This

comes with an increased cost for each. Despite its indirect effect on college education, it is noted

that the higher the cost of basic needs, the more it is hard to afford educational costs. Students

are affected by their daily requirements, such as commuting to classes fee, food, and also

healthcare. Generally, this becomes expensive to be in an educational center. Those that can

afford the increased cost of services, especially in institutional cafeterias and campus hostels, are

mostly rich children from well-brought backgrounds. Despite financial aid from the government,

which is helpful to a few who are termed lucky, they still need the financial ability to buy food as
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government aid is for studies in most cases. This is a social effect that, if controlled, college

education costs can be reduced to affordable.

Modern learning materials are expensive to acquire. There have been inventions lately

that work perfectly in teaching and tutoring students. Lectures can come to lecture halls

physically. Platforms such as zoom have been significantly used in this operation. However, a

cost-incurring learning mode needs a good internet connection and computers or laptops. This

can be very expensive for most poor, especially government-sponsored students. Digital

learning, such as video, text, audio, images, and animations, requires specific apparatus to allow

the learning process. The expense incurred in their purchase is transferred to student tuition

costs. These are modern learning methods that students cannot assume. Some courses, such as

nursing, require hospital-based apparatus, while engineering requires specific machinery that is

expensive to hire and maintain. This is why it is expensive for nursing students compared to art-

based courses. Most colleges have subdivided their internal schools and differently formulated

tuition cost.

Economically, College tuition cost has been affected. The economic-based activities by

man’s slogan ‘survival for the fittest have, in a way, impacted and changed the average college

cost. This is a mean slogan that has affected most families. The rich are the beneficiaries of this

slogan reason being, 'quality services to the able results. The family's financial status is the main

economic effect that has affected the educational cost of a college education. The financial

ability of a man grades and sets where one can freely fit. This has been seen where there has

been the emergence of new colleges that are privately owned and others government-owned.

The board of management in the private sector can decide the kind of college they want by

coming up with the total cost needed for the services they offer. Students from low classes or
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with little income from parents end up in government-owned colleges (Jennifer para.4). In most

cases, government colleges, such as Baruch College in New York, are cheaper than Monroe

college, which is a private profit-based college. What differentiates students from both

universities is the family income for both.

The student's parents' education level has also been a socioeconomic factor in high tuition

costs. Learned parents have a preference for educational centers. Good colleges are ranked by

the kind of services and courses they offer, their students' national performance in science

involvement, and the overall conducive environment for learning they have (Jennifer para 3).

This comes with a cost. The more there are preferences among many parents, the higher the

tuition increase as these colleges will try to improve their services, such as purchasing more

learning materials for the practical sector of education like engineering. This, however, affects

the less fortunate students from uneducated parents. The parents might be uneducated but still

supportive of their willing children. This is part of the reason why colleges only offer services

equally. Colleges with cheaper tuition fees mostly do not offer the best courses as they lack

adequate learning materials.

Acts and government practices have also influenced college tuition fee explosions. Even

though, as per the international rescue committee (IRC), colleges and universities are tax-

exempt. The vast majority of private and public universities and colleges are tax-exempt under

IRC Section 501(c) due to academic reasons (which the national government has historically

recognized as critical to cultivating the gainful and community-based capacity of its citizens) and

the fact that they are state governmental entities (3).To compensate, states frequently grant tax-

exempt status to institutions that meet federal law requirements, such as universities and colleges

(Association of American Universities para 4). Investment income from charitable contributions
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is tax-free, as are earnings from activities that are materially related to an institution's exempt

purpose. Public charities are defined by the federal tax code as tax-exempt institutions,

universities, and their endowments. They are therefore exempt from any payment obligations,

financial profit taxes, or other regulations that apply to private firms. For the government to be

able to offer services to its citizens, such as security, there must be taxation to be used in paying

the security officer. High taxation is among the indirect reasons for tuition fee increases despite

IRC Section 501(c)(3). The tax imposed in the colleges is diverted to the cost of education

offered. This is something that an institution must recognize since the more their students are

secure, the better the learning environment they get. Tax incurred in buying teaching and project

formulation materials is expensive to most of the colleges, primarily the privately owned. To

solve this cost burden, the management raises its fee. This is why there is a gradual increase in

the overall cost of a college education.

Government regulations such as licensing affect the average cost of education. Most may

need to notice how the cost of overall service licensing affects any business education. These

include insurance, corporate identity, and brand protection. They all come with a specific cost as

per the advantage they bring. Every college has a logo that distinguishes it from others. This

prevents cases of impersonation and brand misinterpretation. Educational permits and licenses

safeguard students and provide proof that it complies with local, national, and federal laws. For

example, colleges that offer driving classes require a license that shows they qualify for the task.

To avoid fines and maintain compliance for your company, CorpNet can conduct the necessary

research and process an institution of higher education license on behalf of the college. A

licensed organization is more secure and trusted by most clients. This makes it at the peak of

high demand. The higher the demand, the more the cost of its services. License and insurance
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come with different costs. The more inclusive and protective they are, the more expensive they

get.

However, there are reliable ways that a student facing these expenses can reduce the cost.

This is by application of grants offered by the federal government, study while working jobs,

loans, and scholarships. For low-income students, government aid such as state merit and Pell

Grants are beneficial. Working while studying is critical to keep a student in class without a lack

of basic needs. Although loans can be inconvenient sometimes, they are also a way to navigate

college studies.
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Works Cited

Association of American Universities. "Tax-Exempt Status of Universities and Colleges |

Association of American Universities (AAU)." Www.aau.edu, 2 Oct. 2022,

www.aau.edu/key-issues/tax-exempt-status-universities-and-colleges.

Dickler, Jessica. "Why College Tuition Keeps Rising." CNBC, 24 Oct. 2019,

www.cnbc.com/2019/10/24/why-college-tuition-keeps-rising.html.

Dixit, Namrata. "Sarah Lawrence College Tops Forbes List of Most Expensive Colleges in

America." Luxurylaunches, 8 Apr. 2021,

luxurylaunches.com/other_stuff/sarah_lawrence_college_tops_forbes_list_of_most_expe

nsive_colleges_in_america.php. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

Friedman, Uri. "Why Sarah Lawrence Is the Most Expensive College in America." The Atlantic,

14 Apr. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/04/250k-sarah-lawrence-

degree-worth-every-penny/349659/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.

Grinnell at a Glance. "Grinnell at a Glance | Grinnell College." Www.grinnell.edu, 6 Apr. 2022,

www.grinnell.edu/about/grinnell-glance.

Jennifer, Kristin. "Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Education | Synonym." Synonym.com,

2018, classroom.synonym.com/socioeconomic-factors-affecting-education-

8240412.html.

Olivia, Olivia. "10 Most Expensive Colleges in the US – 2022 Ranking - BookScouter Blog."

Bookscouter.com, 1 Aug. 2022, bookscouter.com/blog/10-most-expensive-colleges-in-

the-us/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2022.

United States Census. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Jersey." Www.census.gov, 1 Apr.

2020, www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ.
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Wolf, by Zachary B. "Why Teacher Strikes Are Touching Every Part of America | CNN

Politics." CNN, 23 Feb. 2019, edition.cnn.com/2019/02/23/politics/teacher-strikes-

politics/index.html. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.